Frampton vs Parodi: Results and Analysis

Frampton was aggresssive throughout, boxing behind his jab and pushing Parodi back, mixing in effective hooks to the body and straights to the head. Parodi tried to box and move but lacked either the power to deter Frampton or the skill to avoid him. In the fourth a big left followed by a series of rights cut the Frenchman, towards the end of the fifth a number of painful looking uppercuts landed cleanly and then in the sixth a huge hook to the body dropped Parodi for the count.

In some ways this bout rather snuck under the radar (for example, I didn’t do a preview for it) but I submit there was a reason for this. Parodi had a very pretty record at 35-1-1 and it is certainly impressive for a 26 year old to have had 37 bouts but in reality this was a stay-busy bout for Frampton. While his level of competition had improved in the buildup to the Frampton bout there was a real lack of quality or depth there and from watching his bouts Parodi appeared to be a useful boxer… but little more. His jab and move style will be enough to frustrate lower level opponents but he lacks the physical attributes or high level of technical skill to take him beyond being a European contender. Put simply Frampton is on a different level to that… this bout was a step down from his last two opponents… former IBF title holder Steve Molitor and current IBF title holder Kiko Martinez.

Rightfully, Frampton is looking for a world title shot in his next bout. A domestic showdown with current WBA title holder Scott Quigg unfortunately looks unlikely: Quigg’s promoter’s Matchroom have offered Frampton the bout (assuming Quigg gets through a bout on the Froch undercard) but Frampton is co-promoted by Frank Warren and the cold war between Warren and Matchroom makes any bout unlikely. Likewise Frampton could find some difficulty in trying to face Guillermo Rigondeaux and Leo Santa Cruz (who hold at least two of the other world titles between them) because they are primarily US based. As well as Warren, Frampton is co-promoted by Hall of Famer Barry McGuigan who also serves as his manager. The relationship with one person being both promoter and manager is controversial in boxing (it was allegedly the reason Frampton left Matchroom) and in the US it would likely find itself on the wrong side of the Ali act which would make it difficult to make bouts there.

That leaves the IBF title currently held by the previously mentiond Kiko Martinez, who will defend the belt against Jeffrey Mathebula in December. Although undoubtedly the lowest profile of the champions, facing the winner of that bout certainly has some attractions for Frampton. It would certainly be a winnable contest… Frampton has already beaten Martinez and while Mathebula’s size makes him awkward he’s nothing special as a boxer. Both Martinez and Mathebula lack strong promotional support, meaning Frampton could likely have the bout in Northern Ireland and if Martinez does retain then the bout would likely be exciting; the Spainard’s aggressive, high tempo style is seemingly purspose built to give punters value for money.

The undercard lacked greatness but did feature a number of recognisable names in somewhat interesting bouts. Middleweight prospect Eamonn O’Kane won a decision over former European champ Kerry Hope for a regional IBF belt. I instinctively pull against Hope (through no fault of his own) due to the awful robbery that was his “victory” over Grzegorz Proksa but he’s still a strong willed boxer and it was a decent victory for O’Kane. Belfast prospect Jamie Conlan demolished Walter Rojas, an Argentinian who at first glance has an impressive looking 20-3-1 record (with 19 victories). I say “at first glance” because once you examine that record at any depth you realise that those victories have come against a truly awful level of opposition and every time he’s stepped up he’s been stopped quickly. It’s still a nice win to have, but it’s a win that looks better than it really is. Finally former Prizefighter winner, European champion and world title challenger Willie Caseysuffered a mild upset after being stopped by the taller Marco McCullough. This was a big step up in opposition for the young Casey and it will be interesting to see what the young man can do with the victory.